Nathan Law Speaks at the Webinar of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Hong Kong – why he has had to leave Hong Kong and why he will use his voice to continue to speak for Democracy, Human Rights and the Rule of Law in Hong Kong
Nathan Law, recently escaped Hong Kong democrat and prominent political figure, said that the UK government must “place sanctions on Carrie Lam”, during a webinar held by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Hong Kong today. The webinar was hosted by Lord Alton of Liverpool, vice-chair of the APPG on Hong Kong and was joined by parliamentarians as well as the world’s media.
Nathan Law is one of Hong Kong’s most prominent young pro-democracy activists. He was one of the leaders of the Umbrella Movement in 2014, a founder and Chairman of the now disbanded political party Demosisto, and was elected the youngest ever member of the Legislative Council in 2016 aged 23. In 2018 he, along with Joshua Wong, Alex Chow and the Umbrella Movement, were nominated by members of the US Congress for the Nobel Peace Prize.
On 2nd July, Nathan Law announced that he had left Hong Kong, after the imposition of the National Security Law. This webinar explored the realities of his story and what the security law means for democracy worldwide.
During the webinar, Nathan Law explained:
“Leaving Hong Kong was a painful decision. I have left my family, my friends and risked the safety of my loved ones, but the work we are doing to promote democracy can no longer be done on the ground in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Authorities will find a way to prosecute anyone who speaks up for democracy. I was running for the Legislative election in September. I have risked left this election because this is about more than furthering my own personal interest. I have a greater cause to preserve my voice so that I can speak up for democracy in Hong Kong on an international stage.
“The implementation of Magnitsky Style sanctions are likely to trigger China to act, but this should not stop Western democracies from implementing them. If we continue to endorse China’s mentality and continue to trade with Beijing, then we are sustaining the regime and China’s abuse of international human rights laws. It is important for democratic countries to target officials such as Carrie Lam. The reason we have no checks and balances in Hong Kong is that there is no way to hold any officials accountable for their actions, from Carrie Lam to police officials. This type of targeting will be a step forward for the democratic world.
“[The UK] must show that it stands with Hong Kong and the value of democracy.”
When asked by John Mullin from the Telegraph why he chose to locate in London, Nathan Law said:
“The UK is a good place to focus my efforts. We have a huge Hong Kong community here and the UK has always been vocal in supporting Hong Kong. For me, getting more European countries involved is important. We need more support from the European Union. The UK has a moral and legal obligation to pay attention to the Hong Kong situation under the Joint Declaration so it is a good place to base advocacy work.”
